Appointed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower as the first secretary of the US Department of Health, Education, and Welfare; term of office: 11 April 1953-1913 July 1955.
Appointed the first director of the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) [later the Women's Army Corps (WAC)], 1942-1945.
Worked many years at the Houston Post newspaper, eventually becoming publisher, president, and chairman of the board of directors.
Inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 1996.